Something Wicked
by TheAlphaWrites
Summary: It was glaringly obvious what was wrong, and it made the panic settle in and the utter terror for their friend: The arc reactor was missing. Set during my Oasis Bruce/Dahlia 'verse. Prompted. AU. Pepper/Tony. Clint/Natasha. Bruce/Dahlia. Thor/Jane. Steve/Phil.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Requested by TheGoldenTrioLivesOn**

* * *

**Chapter One**

"We'll go in through the window."

"It's twenty stores up, Ray."

"It's the only way in without getting caught, okay?"

"No, but we might end up falling to our deaths. Shit man, is it even worth it?"

"'Is it worth it?' Didn't you see how much he's paying us for this? And it's so simple."

"Oh, so you've done something like this before then."

"Well, I've stolen a necklace from some bird before; it can't be that much different."

"Yes, those are the words I needed to gather my confidence in this endeavour."

"Just shut up and pass me that rope. The boss wants this done today."

* * *

DahliaGriffithswalked through the sliding glass door that lead to the laboratory that Tony had reconstructed four floors below the living space, especially designed for the Avengers. As she expected, the large space was covered in a blanket of silence, only the small tinkling of metals together breaking through. She paused at the entrance, a fond smile on her face as she examined the two men, completely absorbed by their research.

Tony Stark was using the holo-projector to analyse the upgrades he was doing on the Iron Man suit. He would mutter thoughtfully to himself, the words too low to pick out, before slicing his hand across the hologram, removing one aspect of the design or zooming in for a more detailed view of another. A few work tables back was Bruce Banner, his head dipped so low that she could have guessed he was asleep at his desk (again), but she knew him better than that and really he was reading, completely absorbed in, the details of those scientist reports, probably another bio-chemistry topic, he was so fond of.

It was a familiar scene, and one she had walked down to view for less than a week, and neither seemed to have moved even an inch each time. And that was why she was done there.

"Alright, playtime is over," she announced.

Tony barely glanced away from his 3D designs, and Bruce managed to tear his eyes away from the collection of papers to peer at his girlfriend with confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm not sure whether you two have any concept of time while you're down here, but it's been 96 hours since you two hid yourself in the lab, and you haven't come up for air once," Dahlia explained, sweeping across the room so she could wrap her arms around Bruce's neck, leaning comfortably against his back.

"It's been four days, really?" Bruce sounded surprised.

"Yes, and we're missing you in the world away from acids and test tubes," She nudged the shell of his ear with her nose, "So I was elected to get you both outside. We're going to the new Nando's they built on 7th – did you know that Natasha hasn't even tried it yet, and she's been in America for nearly eight years now? I swear Clint nearly fainted in disbelief."

"Nando's does sound good," Bruce admitted, one hand drifting to his stomach, "I'm starving."

"And that's what you get for becoming a hermit for the last few days," Dahlia stated without much sympathy. The scientist flushed pink, a sheepish smile on his face. She grinned at him before glancing over to his fellow lab mate, "Tony, finish up. It's time to come up for some air."

"I don't think so, Flash. The specs for Mark XII are nearly done – I have just a few more tweaks here and there, maybe increase the energy capacity by adding another generator…"

"JARVIS, if you would be so kind," Dahlia interrupted with mock sweetness.

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Griffiths," the polite, English voice responded, before the hologram blinked out of existence.

Tony stared for a moment, hand landing hard on the edge of the table in an attempt to reactive the machinery. When it failed, he tilted his head up. "JARVIS reactivate the holo-projector – and the specs have better be saved!"

"I'm sorry sir, but override 6798 has been sequenced,"

Dahlia looked smug. "Pepper told me that one two days ago. Thought it might be useful if you didn't come willingly."

Override 6798 – all clearance to laboratory equipment suspended for six hours. Tony sighed and once again cursed himself for adding in that clause to the program. That's what he got for listening to Pepper during the installation – he was sure it was part of her contract somewhere.

"Nando's, did you say? Yes, definitely up for eating some chicken – I think I might have their chicken burger, medium spice of course, and frozen yoghurt – they should still have that, right? Yes, I want a chicken burger and frozen yoghurt…better make that two frozen yoghurts actually, watermelon and raspberry flavours if they have any…"

"I'm sure Dahlia and Bruce can bring your order back for you," Pepper's voice filtered into the conversation, "Because you are going to bed."

"Awh, Ma, do I have to?" Tony responded mockingly.

Pepper arched an eyebrow, as if just daring him to question her. "You haven't slept in a week, Tony."

"Have so, I slept on Sunday night –"Tony was prepared to argue.

"You haven't slept _properly_ in a week," Pepper corrected herself, "You need to function on more than three hours sleep every two days."

"I'm fine," he assured persistently.

"You're going to sleep Tony, right now, in your own bed," she told him firmly.

"Why does Bruce get to go to Nando's?" Tony demanded childishly.

"Because I'm not Bruce's girlfriend, I'm yours. It's up to Dahlia whether or not Bruce gets to go get spicy chicken or not," Pepper replied easily.

Tony pouted. "Sorry guys, I've been grounded."

Dahlia laughed at her friend's behaviour. "Don't worry Tony; I'll make sure we bring you back a whole truck load of frozen yoghurt to make up for it."

"…Good," Stark mumbled, looking considerabley happier.

Dahlia took a step back and held out her hand. "Come on love, we've got to get going before Clint 'wastes away to nothing'," she quoted amused.

Bruce accepted her hand and allowed himself to be lead out of the lab. He clapped his friend on the shoulder as he passed. "Sleep well Tony."

"Remember my frozen yoghurt," Tony called after them.

Their footsteps faded into silence, and the billionaire turned his attention to the CEO of his company. She was busy tapping away on her StarkPad, probably reading over another set of employee contracts or spreadsheets from the finance department, her head bowed deeply over the luminous screen. She shifted slightly and Tony's lips quirked upwards. Pepper refused to let herself react to Tony on the best of occasions, so he couldn't help but love the moments when her will faltered, even if it was only in the slightest. Eventually, she sighed loudly and looked up from the tablet screen to pick her boyfriend with an exasperated look.

"Should you be in bed?" she arched an eyebrow.

Tony parted his arms widely. "I want a kiss first."

"A kiss, really, that's your condition," Pepper replied, amused, as she slinked closer, slipping into the space between his legs, allowing his arms to wrap around her and pull her firmly against his chest.

"Yup," he hummed, "I want a kiss."

"And then you'll go to bed?"

"Cross my heart," Tony mimicked the action over the glow of the arc reactor, a false mask of sincerity on his face. Still, Pepper obliged happily.

* * *

A distant crash startled Tony from his sleep. He'd always been a light sleeper, ever since he was a child, so it was to be expected. He blinked tiredly, and rubbed his eyes. Tilting his head, he could see the alarm clock that was silently ticking away on his bedside table. The digital numbers glared out at him in the darkness of the room.

17:00. He'd only been asleep for two hours.

There was another noise in the distant – footsteps, Tony guessed, as he recognised the clinging of shoes against his metal staircase. Was it the rest of the Avengers and co? It seemed a little early – the restaurant was at least half an hour away and with the combined efforts of Thor and Steve, it would be impossible for everyone to have finished eating in an hour.

His eyebrows furrowed. He knew Pepper was in her office – he had tried to convince her to return to bed with him, but she had just stared him down until he had slunk off to the master bedroom – Rhodey was never that loud when he came into the penthouse and Happy had the day off – some kind of family commitment, he thinks, not really sure. So who else could be in the penthouse? Who else had the clearance to be allowed access to his home facilities?

"JARVIS, whose has just entered the penthouse suite?"

No answer. Worry curled upwards from his stomach to settle heavily on his chest. JARVIS always replied to him. He was installed in every part of the Tower, in the mansion (even if Tony really didn't use it), in the Iron Man suit, in his phone and even in his cars – the best Sat Nav around – with specific instructions to always answer to him. It was how he was programmed. But now he wasn't. Why wasn't he?

Tony hurried out of bed, shrugging on a pair of pyjama pants that he never actually wore and was constantly left in a corner of the room, and an old t-shirt. He kept his phone in hand, fingers hovering over the emergency call button that had been added to automatically call each of the Avengers phones if there was a problem. He stepped out of his bedroom as quietly as possible, peering around the corridor. It was empty for the moment, but the sounds of clanging, of movement and footsteps, of murmured voice that he didn't recognise, were louder now, coming from just around the corner. He moved carefully, mindful of the creaks in the floorboards and the sound of heavy breathing as he neared.

There were three of them. Three huge, burly guys that he had grown accustomed to seeing outside night clubs or bars, usually to escort him rather violently to his car – or at least, they used to. Certainly, their place wasn't in his home. They each walked around the room, examining different corners of the main lobby. One guy – _blond hair, brown eyes, tattooed cross on the inside of his wrist_ - picked up one of the photos that Dahlia had framed proudly of the Avengers at one of Tony's charity galas – everyone's first one, he remembers – and a sneer crossed his face.

"The Avengers," he spat out, "A bunch of freaks if you ask me."

"Well, we didn't," another – _light brown hair, sunglasses indoors, military style boots_ – snapped, "And keep your voice down. We don't know who might be here. We just need to get what we need to, and then go. Remember what the boss said, don't draw attention to ourselves."

The last man – _shoulder length brown hair, bandaged right hand, leather trench coat_ – snorted. "We're about to steal from Tony Stark – I don't think it's possible to not draw attention to ourselves."

The second man breathed heavily through his nose, closing his eyes briefly as if his two companions were far too annoying to cope with, and he wouldn't if he didn't have to. Eventually, he spoke once more. "Let's just…move on. Pan out and search for Tony Stark – and please, for the love of God, keep your mouths shut."

Tony's mind raced with the possibilities of what might happen next. He could see the two companions grumble loudly but oblige, picking a hallway and moving slowly along them, their heavy set footsteps fading. The man left behind muttered something under his breath, and turned towards Tony's vigilant point, moving closer.

Eyes wide, he thought about his opinions. The suit was his first option, as it always seems to be, but with JARVIS not answering to him and the three invaders blocking his path, it seemed incredibly unlikely that option would work. He could probably fight off the approaching man – he was smaller than the others, didn't look like he had much strength behind a punch, could take him out easily – but that would call on the other men, and Tony doubted he'd able to take on two men that size at the same time.

So he did the only thing he could, the only logical thing anyone would have done in that situation: he ran.

* * *

When JARVIS called through Steve's phone, they knew something had to be wrong. Although the man's voice remained polite and calm, as it always was, there was something about it, with the urgency that he demanded their attention. Something had happened.

"Captain, I have been disconnected from the mainframe of the Tower," his voice was clear through the speakers, "I can not longer get in contact with Mr. Stark."

"Disconnected? What do you mean 'disconnected'?" Steve wondered.

"I have been removed Captain. I cannot see or hear what is happening in Stark Tower at this moment," the AI responded.

"Tony would never do that to JARVIS. The AI is everywhere," Bruce explained.

"Something must be wrong," Natasha added firmly.

"We need to get back home, now," Steve stated firmly, immediately moving into Cap mode as Dahlia called it.

* * *

The elevator ride was too silent, filling the occupants with dread and fear of what they would find. The doors didn't open fast enough with they reached the penthouse, and they stepped out cautiously. The main lobby was empty, as it usualally was, but the hesitant approach to the living room revealed the chaos and the wreckage that they had all hoped they would never see.

Framed pictures were smashed on the floor, the photos ripped and crushed, surrounded by the glass. The cushions had been dragged off the sofas, on some the stuffing of the pillows was spilling out like a weeping wound. The coffee table had been knocked over and the mug of coffee that Clint had been drinking before they left was now cracked into two parts and its contents staining the carpet. Books scattered the floor; ornaments had fallen from their shelves, and one of the large windows that looked out across New York had been broken from the outside in.

And, lying in the centre of it all was Tony. He was shirtless, his drawstring trousers resting low on his hips. His skin was pale, the only colour coming from the red of cuts and the yellowness of the forming bruises. His chest shuddered weakly; his eyelids fluttered; his fingers twitched. The layer of sweat glistened in the overhead lights. It was glaringly obvious what was wrong, and it made the panic settle in and the utter terror for their friend.

The arc reactor was missing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Requested by TheGoldenTrioLivesOn**

**A/N: Dahlia Griffiths is part of my Oasis 'verse, starting with 'Wonderwall', my first Avengers story, but also the first of my Bruce/OC stories. This story explains the first meetings, the relationships behind each character and also gives some background to Dahlia character. I would love if you would check it out! :D**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

For a moment, all they could do was stand there, and stare. It was as if every possible action or thought had escaped them, at least for that moment, and leaving behind only white noise. Tony groaned quietly through cracked lips and his head almost inclined towards them.

Dahlia was the first to move.

"God Tony…" she whispered, horrified, as she moved to his side, falling to her knees and reaching out to touch the fevered skin.

His eyes snapped open suddenly and his voice choked in his throat. He looked afraid, utterly terrified, and it made Dahlia's chest ache to see the usually so confident and fearless man so vulnerable. She clutched his hand tightly, offering some silent comfort.

"Does anyone know where his spare arc reactors are kept?" she heard Steve demand behind her, his commanding voice slipping so easily into place.

"I do," Natasha replied quickly, before her heels could be heard clipping along the floor boards as she sped off towards the spiral staircase that lead to the lab.

Bruce crouched down on Tony's other side and automatically began to check him over, his role as resident doctor coming so easily to him. His hands moved hurriedly yet precise across the expanse of his skin, feeling the erratic pulse on his wrist and checking for head wounds.

"He's going into cardiac arrest," Bruce stated urgently, "We need to call for an ambulance."

"Of course," Steve nodded, pulling his phone from his back pocket. He stared down at the phone for a moment, the tense situation making him nervous and all concepts of how to work the future contraption shot from his mind. "Um…"

Dahlia held out her free hand. "Pass it here, we don't have time to walk you through this, sorry Steve," she said bluntly, dialling in the three digits with one hand, not willing to release her grip on Tony. Setting the call onto loudspeaker, she bit her lip impatiently at the slow, shrilled ringing.

"I'm going to get Pepper," Clint announced loudly, his eyes dancing worriedly over the shaking form, "She's going to want to be here."

"Hello, I need an ambulance at Stark Tower." She instructed loudly, "It looks as if we've had a break-in. Tony…um, Mr. Stark has been attacked and he's going into cardiac arrest, we need someone here now."

"_Of course miss, an ambulance has been sent your way. Stay on the line until the vehicle reaches you. Can I ask your name?_"

"Dahlia. Dahlia Griffiths."

"_And you live at the Tower with Mr. Stark, correct?_"

"Yes, but I don't understand what that has to do with anything…"

"_Just relax Miss. Griffiths, we understand this is a stressful time, but these questions are mandatory. Now, tell me about Mr. Stark, is he still breathing?_"

"Um, barely."

"_Okay, what I'm going to need you to do is to keep air pushing through his lungs, can you do that?_"

"Uh, y-yeah, keep the air pushing through his lungs," Dahlia instructed Steve, who nodded and proceeded to begin the CPR training that he had been taught when he first joined the army.

"Natasha needs to hurry up with that reactor," Bruce muttered.

"Do you think it would help?" she questioned desperately.

"I don't know, but it might give him a fighting chance," he looked frustrated and scared, running his hand through his hair and tugging furiously at the edges.

* * *

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Grant, but at the moment, our clean energy program is the most important endeavour of Stark Industries," Pepper explained through gritted teeth, finding it increasingly difficult to keep her voice calm and pleasant. Her fingers tapped a heavy beat onto her cluttered desk and she suppressed the urge to groan when the determined man continued to argue. "Of course our other projects and customers are important, but as you can see, Stark Industries is in the process of introducing the arc reactor technology worldwide, which will not only bring our profit margins through the roof but also offer a hefty check towards our shareholders and investors, which will more than cover our marginal error last quarter."

Her office door swung open violently and she looked up, startled, by Clint's overwhelming form in her doorway. He moved quickly into the room, ignoring the stuttered calls and apologies of her new assistant, Tyler, from behind him. She waved her off quickly, covering the speaker on the phone and standing up to meet him.

The Avengers never came down to the offices; she knew that for certain. They didn't feel as if there was a point, when their rooms were in the penthouse above, and really they had no business involving themselves in Stark Industries. So the pure fact that Clint was standing before her would be enough to be a cause of concern, but it was the look of panic and worry on his face that really made her heart pound in her chest.

"What happened?" she breathed out a desperate demand.

"It's Tony. We…JARVIS was locked out of the penthouse and…we think there was a break in," Clint struggled to find the right words to explain the situation, his emotions causing the words to merge together in his hurry to get them out there, "…Tony, he's hurt, he-"

"How hurt?" Pepper interrupted, "How…?"

"…They took the arc reactor Pepper," Clint murmured with a sigh, "Tasha's gone to look for his spare but…he looked really bad. Dahlia was dialling an ambulance when I left…"

Her ears ringing with the news, she slowly lifted the phone to her ear. "I'm sorry Mr. Grant; I'm going to have to call you back. Something…something's come up."

* * *

"Here, the reactor," Natasha thrust the small rounded object into Bruce's hands. Automatically, he moved to place it carefully into the open cavity in the centre of his chest, Steve pulling back slightly to watch closely. Tony shuddered violently when the arc reactor lit up blue, the low humming noise seeming to echo loudly around the tense room. His eyes snapped open quickly, glazed over, and Bruce felt the increased beating of his heart in the pulse of his wrist. Dahlia winced quietly at the sudden tightness of the grip around her hand.

And then, it all faded away.

His eyes fluttered closed; his grip loosened, and his heart beat slowed to just above the average resting heart rate of a man his age. But he didn't wake up. He just laid there, still, unmoving; pale and vulnerable in the destruction around him.

"Is he…" Steve trailed off. Dahlia looked up alarmed, eyes wide.

"No, he's still breathing…" Bruce quickly assured, leaning forward to examine Tony's laxed face closely, "It's as if he's just…"

"He's unconscious," Natasha interrupted, "His body is recovering from cardiac arrest. It happens to many people."

"I'm not going to ask how you know that," Dahlia mumbled, feeling relief flood her sense. She fumbled with the phone in her grasp. "He's, uh, asleep now, still breathing. That's good right. He'll be fine, he'll survive?"

"_I can't answer that question Miss. Griffiths, but I can say that I've heard worse outcomes._"

"As far as I can tell," Bruce quickly responded at his girlfriend's worried look, shooting a dark glare towards the phone. That sort of response was not helping. He reached out to cover her shaking hands with one of his own, "Hey, don't worry so much. He'll be fine."

She gave him a watery smile, thankful for the comforting words, even though she knew he couldn't be certain. She raised the hand he had reached out for, the one that still kept hold of Tony, and pressed a kiss to the back in silent thank you. She peered down at Tony's quiet form once more before peering around the room, taking in the damage of the shattered lounge. "What happened here?"

"I don't know," Steve shrugged uncertainly, "But obviously, whoever it was wanted the arc reactor."

"And Tony put up a hell of a fight to make sure they didn't get it," Bruce added.

"Well, wouldn't you?" Dahlia responded quietly.

Through the broken window, sirens could be heard over the excitable, thrumming noises that were the life force of New York City. She breathed out a shy of relief. "The ambulance…I can hear the ambulance."

"_When the paramedics reach you, relay everything that has happened to them, answering all their questions honestly and in as much detail as you can. Even the littlest pieces of information could come in useful_," the unknown woman advised, "_Thank you for calling_."

_Click_.

Natasha stood up straight, brushing a lock of red hair behind her ear, "I'm going to need to call Agent Coulson. S.H.I.E.L.D need to know what happened."

"Yeah, and let them know that we've got this one," Steve told her firmly, his expression hardened with determination and pure stubbornness; "No one messes with one of ours and gets away with it."

* * *

**A/N: I'm not entirely sure what the operator on the other end of the line says when you call the emergency services, but I hope at least this made sense.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Requested by TheGoldenTrioLivesOn**

**A/N: Dahlia Griffiths is part of my Oasis 'verse, starting with 'Wonderwall', my first Avengers story, but also the first of my Bruce/OC stories. This story explains the first meetings, the relationships behind each character and also gives some background to Dahlia character. I would love if you would check it out! :D**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Pepper had ridden in the ambulance with Tony, who had immediately been rushed in ICU, where the rest of the Avengers had been unable to enter. They'd paced furiously, worriedly, cursing the hospital staff, until Phil had shown up less than 15 minutes later. He had barely stopped to press a comforting kiss to Steve's temple, before he had taken charge, demanded to know what was happening and flashing his badge about in a way that he never had before – a clear sign that he was worried. He'd come back half an hour later, looking tired and a little lost, and announced they were allowed in to see Tony now.

Pepper was the only one permitted to sit in the room, and no one begrudged her that. She hadn't said anything since she'd lead the paramedics to the penthouse suite, had only made this little choked gasp, her hand coming up to smother it, when she saw how still Tony was lying there. She was in pain, anyone with eyes could see that, and worried and her hand shook when she finally worked up the courage to reach out to Tony, who sleeping in the hospital bed, unknowing of what was going on around him.

Dahlia bit her bottom lip worriedly and leant into Bruce's touch. He adjusted his hold around her waist to bring her closer and rested his chin on the crown of her head. She glanced at Phil out of the corner of her eye, examining his blank expression as he let Steve hug him to his chest.

"He's going to be alright, isn't he?" she questioned.

"They think so, are hopeful he'll make a full recovery…" Phil started.

"I sense a 'but' coming," Natasha commented.

"But they're not Tony," Clint explained with a frustrated sigh, "They don't know how the arc reactor works or even the damage that could be caused by its removal. He could wake up in a few days, weeks, months or he might die over night."

"Tony's stable though, that's a good sign right?" Dahlia insisted, her gut clenching violently at the thought of Tony dying.

"Yes Dahlia, it's a good sign," Bruce assured quietly, brushing his lips across her forehead and rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"The doctors will do everything they can for Tony," Steve stated, the strong, determined voice of Captain America in full use, something that made all eyes turn to attention automatically, "And we need to do what we can. We need to find out who did this."

Phil sighed heavily. "Fury doesn't want you on this case. He says you have too much of a personal involvement in the matter and that it would affect your judgement…"

"Phil, you can't expect us to-"Steve started to argue, eyebrows furrowed as he slowly withdraw his arms.

"However," he interrupted firmly, "What Fury doesn't know won't hurt him. Just be fast. I don't how long it will be before he realises and has you all on lockdown."

Steve stole a kiss, something quick and firm that made Phil blink in a dazed fashion. Steve wasn't exactly one for public displays of affection, but now he stared at the agent with this indescribable look in his eyes, that made Dahlia want to smile her happiness for her friend, and she probably would have if she wasn't so worried.

"Thank you," he muttered once, brushing the side of his thumb over Phil's parted lips, before standing up straighter, meeting the gazes of his team, "We need to find somewhere secure to start the mission. Someone figured out how to hack into JARVIS, and managed to learn Tony's schedule, and that means someone was watching the Tower. We need to be careful."

"My sister's," Dahlia offered, "She's about as far away from all this stuff as you can get. No one would look for us there. She'd be happy to help."

"Done," Steve nodded confirmation. He glanced at Phil once more, "Can you get agents to stand guard outside Tony's room? No one else needs to get hurt."

"Already done," the agent nodded once, "Sitwell and Hill personally volunteered to keep watch. They won't let anything happen to Tony or Pepper."

"Good," Clint nodded, and a malicious smile twisted onto his face, "Let's find these fuckers then."

* * *

The steady beeping of the machine, the sign that Tony was still alive, was the focus of Pepper's attention. Every little blip was taken into her conscious and filed away. She needed to know. Needed to know the patterns, to know the rhythm, so next time – although she prayed to god that there wasn't a next time – she could do something. Could help him, could protect him, could…

She shook her head to escape the thought. No, she couldn't break down now. It wouldn't do anyone any good to give into the voices, the ones that were reminding her that _she was the one that insisted that Tony stay behind. If you hadn't of said anything, maybe…_

She cut them off again. No, she needed to stay strong, for Tony. Her heart rate synchronised to the sound of the machine, and she allowed the sound, however mechanic, to calm her down. Pepper held Tony's hand in her own, hating how limp it felt. Even in his sleep, Tony would grasp back, would squeeze gently in acknowledgement of her presence but now…there was nothing.

The door clicked open quietly behind her and Dahlia appeared on the other side of the bed, peering down at Tony as she chewed her bottom lip. Neither spoke for a moment, but they didn't need to. It was enough just to be there and Pepper could see the tension starting to leave her friend's shoulders as she took in the signs of life – the heart monitor, still working; the shallow rise and fall of his chest; the rolling of eyes beneath his eyelids, as if he were having some magnificent dream.

Dahlia reached out for Tony's other hand, just feeling the weight of it for a moment, before she spoke, "We're leaving now. Steve wants to start the investigation as soon as possible."

Pepper nodded curtly. "Good."

"Sitwell and Hill are going on guard duty. Phil's going to standby until they get here. You and Tony will be perfectly safe here." She continued.

"You think whoever did this might come back?"

Dahlia shrugged. "Maybe."

"Do you even know who would? I mean, Tony's not exactly the best of people, we all know that, but to…" Pepper swallowed heavily.

"Hey," Dahlia's voice was low and soothing, a source of comfort and confidence when mixed with the determined look at crossed her face, "It doesn't matter why they did this, what matters is they did. We're going to find them and whoever's responsible is going to pay for this, I promise you that."

"…What can I do to help?"

"Take care of Tony. I have feeling that when he wakes up – and he will Pepper, you know Tony better than that –"she added firmly, "he'll want to have you there with him. Plus, you're the only one that's capable of getting Tony Stark to do anything, including stay on bed rest until she's completely healed."

Pepper couldn't help by let out a bark of a laugh. "I'll hate that," she commented.

"Probably," Dahlia agreed, her lips twitching upward with mild amusement, "Try talking to him; I've read that people in comas can hear you. It might make him wake up faster. Someone will be back to check on you tonight – we'll bring food and a change of clothes, maybe sit with Tony for a bit so you don't have to do this all by yourself."

"Thank you," she smiled faintly, "Just…um, be safe?"

"I promise," Dahlia traced a cross over her heart. She pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead and released his hand reluctantly. She gave Pepper one last reassuring smile – forced, Pepper could tell, but she appreciated the sentiment – before leaving the room as silently as she had entered.

Pepper let out a low breath, relaxing back in her chair. Her gaze circled the room once before landing back on Tony. "Talking can help, huh?" she murmured.

* * *

"Do you have it?"

Ray tensed at the voice, deep and familiar, that came from within the darkness. He didn't like this. When he was hired, he knew who and where his boss was at all times, mostly just in case they tried to screw him over (and that had happened upon occasion), but this time, not so much. Whoever this guy was, he was secretive and careful. As in, not even the sign of a footprint in the dust kind of careful. It made him uneasy and wary, and once again, he questioned his choice in accepting the job.

And then he remembered the money and all those doubts disappeared.

He straightened his back. "Yeah, we got it." He produced the object from his pocket – the arc reactor, glowing blue vivid in the black backdrop, wires hanging loosely from the base where it had been disconnected. He heard a chair shift backwards and he suppressed a smirk. "So, um, what do you need it for?" he questioned casually.

"And why is that any concern of yours?"

"Call it a passing interest," Ray continued, "I mean, we went to a lot of trouble to get this for you – may have actually managed to kill Tony Stark-"

"Which was not something we signed up for, by the way," Simon added quickly.

"-so I think we should at least know it was worth it."

The voice chuckled darkly. "Oh, don't worry boys." And then he stepped out of the shadows. Tall with slicked blond hair and blue eyes that stared back menacingly, a tailored suit making him look all of the billionaire weapons expert that Ray recalled Justin Hammer to be. He smirked dangerously. "It was definitely worth it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Requested by GoldenTrioLives On**

**A/N: Dahlia Griffiths is part of my Oasis 'verse, starting with 'Wonderwall', my first Avengers story, but also the first of my Bruce/OC stories. This story explains the first meetings, the relationships behind each character and also gives some background to Dahlia character. I would love if you would check it out! :D**

_**This is unbeta'd because I wanted to get it posted as soon as possible, so all mistakes are my own :)**_

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**Chapter Four**

"Will Tony be okay?" Calista questioned worriedly, gnawing on her bottom lip. Although she may not exactly approve of the idea of her baby sister being involved in such a dangerous institute, she was aware that she couldn't stop it and the year or so that she'd had to know the Avengers had caused an attachment to form. The news that Tony was hurt had hit her hard, and she stared at them earnestly for some good news.

"That's what the doctor's say," Dahlia assured, deciding not to mention the issues that could arise. It seemed best not to worry her too much.

"But the ones that hurt him won't be," Natasha added darkly.

The group of five had retreated to Calista's comfortable home in the richer side of New York, something that Tony had guaranteed for them when she had shown an interest in moving her son and husband closer to her sister. The news was circulating about the events because, although S.H.I.E.L.D had tried to keep in quiet, it was impossible for reporters to ignore the gaping hole in Stark Tower that the invaders had left, nor the rush of the ambulance from the premises, and the hint of a potential story too much for them to handle. A few Stark Industries employees had become "anonymous sources" for these mongers and Dahlia made a mental note to talk to Pepper about maybe finding more trustworthy staff.

They now sat in her living room, sofas and armchairs picked for them to take some comfort from. Natasha and Clint sat close together, the archer leaning slightly into the redhead's touch, their expressions beginning to relax from the tense pinch of anger they had held at the hospital, but the dance of sick enjoyment as they thought up a long list of tortuous punishments was still very much alive in their eyes. Bruce had his arm around Dahlia's shoulders as she leant into his chest and her sock covered feet were stretched out across Steve's lap. Calista had curled up on her favourite armchair, arms holding her legs to her chest. In the middle of the floor, on a play mat, the 2 year old Yves played happily with his building blocks, a birthday present from Auntie Lia.

"We need a plan," Steve started, "Something smart and well thought out. S.H.I.E.L.D can't find out what we're doing; at least, not yet. So, what's our first play?"

"The CCTV footage," Bruce supplied.

"But JARVIS was disconnected," Clint's eyebrows furrowed.

"The CCTV cameras work independently from JARVIS," the scientist explained, "The idea was that if an intruder interfered with the security cameras, that JARVIS would catch the whole thing - a decoy system. I see no reason why it shouldn't work the other way around."

"Would JARVIS be able to get the footage?"

"JARVIS can get in anywhere," Dahlia and Calista echoed together, sounding way too much like Tony.

And so he could. At Steve's request, JARVIS brought the reclaimed recordings up on his Stark Phone. With wide eyes, trying to take in as much as was humanly possible, the team watched as large figures, hanging from cables, laser cut through the glass – "It's like something from a movie," Calista muttered – which shattered on the floor when it was kicked through. The figures, three men they knew for certain now, climbed through the entry they had made. The men stood for a moment, glancing around the room almost curiously taking in the artefacts that surrounded them. One approached the photo frames and lifted one to hold.

"_The Avengers_," he spat out, his voice crackling in the recording, "_A bunch of freaks if you ask me_."

"_Well, we didn't, and keep your voice down. We don't know who might be here. We just need to get what we need to, and then go. Remember what the boss said, don't draw attention to ourselves_."

"_We're about to steal from Tony Stark – I don't think it's possible to not draw attention to ourselves_."

The second man, obviously the leader by this point, pinched the bridge of his nose. "_Let's just…move on. Pan out and search for Tony Stark – and please, for the love of God, keep your mouths shut._"

They watched as the three paused suddenly, as if hearing something far off camera. One smiled with sicken glee and took off first, the others following swiftly afterwards. Calista smothered a noise and muttered something about checking on Yves, disappearing out the door with the toddler in tow. Perhaps that was for the best.

Dahlia looked a little sick and Steve absentmindedly rubbed a soothing pattern on the knuckles of her clenched hand in an attempt to relax her. His eyebrows furrowed angrily when Tony was dragged back into frame. The man tried to fight them off but it was clear those days without sleep and proper food had taken its toll. The man wasn't the best of physical fighters that Steve had seen, but never before had he seen Tony's moves so sluggish, and with those three brutes as his opponents, it wasn't soon before he was pinned.

Tony squirmed desperately, attempting to kick out. He nailed one of the guys firmly in the face with the heel of his foot. The man cursed loudly, and brought his hand back to punch him, Tony's jaw clicking horridly upon the impact that had his head recoiling away. The attacker looked ready to land another punch when he was interrupted.

"_We're not here to kill him. Just take the reactor and go_," the leader reminded him firmly. The other man sneered, disgruntled, but did as he was told.

Steve had never seen Tony so afraid, when those clumsy hands reached into his chest and yanked out the arc reactor with brutal force, ripping wires and disconnecting the bottom plate. It was when his body began to convulse, body trembling, that Steve had to turn away, clenching his eyes to stave off the onslaught of horror and disgust that churned in his stomach.

He didn't want to watch it anymore.

"JARVIS," he said quietly, "Can we get a closer look at the three men?"

"Certainly Captain," JARVIS agreed, pulling up closer facial deposits. Eyes stared, committing the images to memory.

"Can you pull up matches from the S.H.I.E.L.D and NYPD databases?" Natasha questioned, "We need to find out who these fuckers are."

"Of course, Miss Romanoff, but it will take some time without my connection to Stark Industries directly," the AI responded.

"You get started on that JARVIS, we'll find a way to get you reconnected," Steve promised. He turned to face the team, "JARVIS had to have been disconnected before the men entered the building."

"There's only one way to disengage JARVIS from the main frame. You'd have to do it straight from the source," Bruce stated, arms folded across his chest.

"So, someone must have let those guys in," Dahlia realised. Yes, she was really going to have to talk to Pepper about her staff.

"Bruce, I want you to get JARVIS back up and running in the Tower," Steve ordered, "Dahlia, Natasha, I want you to go with Bruce. Find out who was around at the time and see if anyone knows anything. Get the information anyway you can."

"With pleasure," Natasha murmured, as Dahlia nodded her agreement.

"Clint, you and I are going to try and find out who would want the arc reactor," Steve told the archer.

Dahlia snorted. "That's hardly the easiest of tasks, Steve. People all around the work want what Stark has."

"But how many are willing to leave him dead to do it?" the Captain countered, "Tony is a public figure. He's constantly in the lime light – people would notice if he was gone. And on top of that, there's us. How many people would risk the Avengers finding them? How many people would risk jail time to get a hold of something that only one person has ever been able to understand? It's not much, but it might narrow it done a little until JARVIS can tell us where to find the hired goons."

"You'll tell us if JARVIS finds anything?" Bruce inquired.

"Of course,"

"Good, because the Hulk has some smashing to do,"


End file.
